Monthly Archives: August 2016

Those of us who are fortunate enough to call New Baltimore home are spoiled, and many of us don’t even know it. Waterfront cities are common in the Detroit area, but none of them feel quite like New Baltimore – a small, resort-like town, just 40 minutes from the bustle of Detroit.

Just 20 years ago, many now-busy intersections did not require traffic lights, and a majority of side streets in the area were dirt roads riddled with potholes.

Since I began residing here, the city’s population has doubled, as people have discovered what a wonderful, eclectic town New Baltimore is. While the roads now have more traffic, the city has not lost any of its luster. Rather, it has only gained steam with new businesses opening while still maintaining its quaint, small-town feel.

Only in New Baltimore can you get a fresh Belly Button cookie from the historic Stahl’s Bakery, imbibe in a wine tasting at Washington Street Wine House, and enjoy a delicious, healthy lunch at Little Mustard Seed, or have a handmade dinner at Fin’s Eatery & Spirits or Camille’s By the Bay.

It’s not that there’s just food to eat, wine to drink, and places to shop in New Baltimore – the city also has a definitive community feel. That sense of community comes together through festivals, events, and just a general sense of neighborhood camaraderie. Part of the city’s identity for two weeks in June is the unmistakable Fishfly. Instead of bemoaning their arrival, New Baltimorians have embraced their brief visit with their annual festival.

The Fishfly Festival is an annual five day event that takes place near the end of June. Families can enjoy the parade, some fireworks, the festival tent, or even a cardboard boat race. Personally, the Fishfly Festival was one of the things I looked most forward to every year when I was a kid.

New Baltimore is also home to the beautiful Walter & Mary Burke Park, where, during the summer, you can simply relax on a bench, or fish, boat or kayak on the water of Lake St. Clair. During the winter, ice fishing is an option, and anybody is welcome to plummet into the frigid Lake St. Clair water during the annual polar bear plunge. I’m too cowardly to partake, but those who do help out the local Lions Club.

With the city experiencing such a steady growth, New Baltimore is an area ripe for successful businesses. Bad Brad’s BBQ on Green Street now has a handful of locations around metro Detroit, and Little Mustard Seed has shown that all-natural ingredients speak for themselves.

I am excited to see how the city continues to evolve while preserving its history. I may be spoiled by where I live, but I don’t take it for granted. Come by for a visit, I think you’ll like what you find.

New Baltimore Business Flourishes Downtown

By: Alex Klempay

Since its inception in 2013, The Little Mustard Seed Café and Shoppe has been serving farm-to-table meals. The menu at the café is varied, but with one goal: to provide customers with the freshest, most delicious, organic and gluten-free meals and beverages – and, perhaps, for an unexpected reason.

“My daughter was diagnosed with food allergies to gluten, dairy, corn, and soy,” said Kathy Cox, owner of The Little Mustard Seed. “I started making everything from scratch trying to find substitutions,” Cox added. “The more people that I would talk to about her food allergies, the more I found out that there were a lot of people out there like her.”

For Cox, the decision to open a café wasn’t a difficult one. “It was either go back to teaching or open a store… and here we are three years later.”

Nestled square in the heart of downtown New Baltimore, The Little Mustard Seed’s unassuming façade makes it easy to drive by – but don’t.

The Little Mustard Seed Cafe in Downtown New Baltimore.

In addition to the already diverse options on The Little Mustard Seed’s menu, including anything from hand crafted sandwiches to freshly prepared pizzas, daily specials are also shared daily via the café’s Facebook page. Daily specials include an array of items, such as cinnamon rolls, jalapeno black bean soup, snickerdoodles, lavender lemonade, and much more, all made with organic ingredients.

“I have been eating organic for almost 20 years,” Cox said. “I believe that God has created everything perfectly for our bodies, and we shouldn’t mess with it.”

Making delectable dishes and drinks isn’t all that The Little Mustard Seed has to offer – they also sell body care products, toys made with 100% recycled plastic, and jewelry, to name a few.

“The shoppe was for the organic body care products that I started selling when I was a stay at home mom,” Cox said. “When we opened we had more space devoted to the shoppe, but quickly realized that the café was much busier.”

Despite being a hit within the health conscious community, Cox currently doesn’t have plans to open additional locations.

“Our focus is on our current location and the non-profit organic farm that we are starting,” Cox said. “We received our 501(c)3 status for RONS Farm-AC and are looking to purchase land to start the farm on,” Cox added. “We will use organic, year-round growing and use the produce for the community and for the café.”

If that weren’t enough, the café also donates 10% of its proceeds to support charities around the world.

“My faith is super important to me, and giving back to those who are less fortunate is equally important,” Cox said. “Currently, we donate to children’s funds around the globe to fight hunger,” Cox added. “However, we are also starting the farm to combat local hunger and to employ socially disadvantaged individuals.”

Cox believes helping those in need is beneficial to everyone.

“I have always had a heart for the underdogs, and want to use the farm to show our society that people can overcome their disabilities through their abilities.”

In visiting The Little Mustard Seed Café and Shoppe, you can feel good knowing you’re giving your body a healthy, all-natural meal, while also supporting a local business that truly cares about local and global communities.

Tell us about the Chaldean community. Where is the origin of the community and where is the population most prevalent?
Chaldeans have a history dating all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, and are indigenous to Iraq, Syria, and parts of Iran and Turkey. Iraq has the largest population of Chaldeans followed by Syria.
Chaldeans are Eastern Rite Catholics who have their own patriarch in Baghdad with the Pope being the highest authority. Chaldeans speak Aramaic, which is the oldest continuous language in the world and the language spoken by Jesus Christ.

Most Chaldeans in the Metro Detroit area are from Iraq and their situation has been likened to American Indians; in the wake of the Iraq War, Chaldeans and other religious minorities have been relentlessly persecuted and driven from their lands by Islamic fundamentalists.
Outside of the Middle East, Metro Detroit has the largest Chaldean population with 150,000 people. There are also Chaldean communities in California, Phoenix and Nevada, and a large Assyrian community in Chicago.

What inspired you to start the Chaldean Chamber and the Chaldean Community Foundation?

The Chamber was launched by a 15-member steering committee to help dispel the negative stereotypes that existed about Chaldeans. The Chamber has become major planning organization for our community. Most Chaldeans are business owners; in fact, 61% of households own at least one business. Major business concentrations include hospitality, food and beverage, wireless, restaurants and development.

We have also had a large influx of New Americans to this region due to the Iraq War and its consequences, thus the launch of the Chaldean Community Foundation to help these individuals become self-sustaining, productive members of society.

Tell us about the Chaldean Community in Macomb County.

The fastest-growing segment of our population is in Macomb County. We have sizable populations in Warren, Sterling Heights, Shelby Township and now even more so in Utica. The largest Chaldean Catholic Church, for example, is in Shelby Township and we also have a church in Sterling Heights and in Warren.

We recently built the Chaldean Community Foundation facility at 15 Mile and Ryan to help acculturate the New Americans. Since 2007 more than 30,000 Chaldeans have come to Michigan; 15,000 arrived as refugees and the other 15,000 as sponsored. We still have more than 800,000 displaced Christians in Iraq because of the ongoing genocide being perpetuated against Christians in the Middle East.

We are a resource not only to Chaldean families, but to all who need assistance. Our Foundation office in Sterling Heights serves more than 20,000 people a year, more than 15% of which are non-Chaldean, with English learning, career services, citizenship services, access to healthcare, and many other services. The center is a true community center open to all. Although it just opened we are already expanding because we need more parking. We have purchased the two adjacent lots and are working on building a long-term special-needs center for Macomb County as well.

Where is the best Chaldean food in Macomb?

Probably at a Chaldean household but if you can’t have dinner with a Chaldean family, I highly recommend Sahara Markets and Bakery, which have locations in Warren and Sterling Heights. That is the best food in Macomb County.

Are Chaldean businesses doing well in Macomb?

Yes, Chaldeans are blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic. And as the Chaldean population grows, expect to see more Chaldean-owned business like shops, restaurants and markets, and other businesses attracted to serving this dynamic market. With the influx of New Americans you can see a lot of Chaldean owned business opening up in Macomb County.

What are the top priorities for new families in Macomb?

Many of our newly arrived families fled Iraq with nothing more than the clothes on their back, so have ongoing challenges dealing with general anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Our aim at the center is to help them become more independent from government subsidies and focus on helping them get on the right path as New Americans, mainly with access to new jobs and transportation. The goal is to make them become contributors to the local economy like the tens of thousands of Chaldeans who came to the United States before them. Chaldeans are mainly entrepreneurs and contribute almost $11 billion annually to Michigan’s economy.

What are your favorite destinations in Macomb?

I am becoming more and more familiar with Macomb; I haven’t been an Eastsider (although you guys are really cool people). I am really enjoying Lake St. Clair Metropark, CJ Barrymore’s and Jimmy John’s Field. There is so much that Macomb has to offer and hopefully one day I’ll make Macomb my home.

Why Advancing Macomb?

I love meeting people and our increased presence in Macomb County has been deeply satisfying on both the personal and professional level. I am honored to be associated with such a forward-thinking organization.